


A Little More Than Just a Sketch

by Serpents_of_Fire_and_Fog



Category: Mean Girls - Richmond/Benjamin/Fey
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/F, Soulmate AU, cadnis - Freeform, paint by numbers - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-11-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:08:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26033212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Serpents_of_Fire_and_Fog/pseuds/Serpents_of_Fire_and_Fog
Summary: Janis has spent her whole life drawing.  It had been ingrained in her mind as much as breathing. Over the years, she drew many subjects and objects. Yet so often she had come back to one particular girl.This is an expansion of the Soulmate AU one-shot I did a while back. Some people suggested I write a full story about it so I did.
Relationships: Cady Heron/Janis Sarkisian
Kudos: 51





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Updates will be bi-weekly. I have no shame, Kathrine Pulitzer and Jack Kelly ( from Newsies) are both in the prologue. There will be themes of homophobia throughout this story as it is cannon, however I will have individual triggers at the beginning of each chapter. Please tell me if you notice any mistakes!! Happy reading!
> 
> TW for strongly implied homophobia.

~Janis~

Janis could barely contain her excitement as her mom's car pulled into the school's parking lot. All week she had been bouncing on the balls of her feet as she prepared for her first day of kindergarten. She and her mom had spent the past few days dashing about buying school supplies and picking out new clothes just for the occasion. She had met her teacher and learned where her classroom would be the previous week. Ignoring the small amount of nerves building in her stomach, Janis hopped from her mom's car hoisting her backpack onto her shoulders and clutching her lunchbox in hand. 

Just before she dashed into the building, her mother called her back, demanding she get to take a picture of her "Baby Girl" in front of the building. Janis agreed as they walked across the crosswalk to the main building. She stood beside the brick wall much like many of the other children, with a large grin on her face. Her long, dark brown hair was in pigtails over her shoulders and she was wearing jeans and a light blue tee-shirt. Her backpack was was green and her lunchbox pink. 

After snapping a few quick pictures and wiping the tears that had formed on her eyes, Janis's mom hugged her goodbye. Janis walked slowly to her classroom, admiring the halls. All around her people dashed about, laughing and talking. By the time she made it to her classroom, she was slightly disoriented. 

Her teacher stood at the door, smiling brightly at each of the students who walked into the classroom. She introduced herself as Ms. Pulitzer and asked Janis to remind her of her name as they had only met once the week prior. Ms. Pulitzer told each student to look for their names, which had been written on tags taped to each of the six tables table. The tables we set up in two rows and had four chairs placed around them. Janis glanced around at some of her fellow classmates. Some seemed to be struggling with which spot was their own. Janis, however, found her's quite quickly. Janis's spot was at the table closest to her teachers desk. It was in the first row all the way to the right of the room ( when looking from behind, that is). There were a few other children already seated at the table, so she was quick to join them. 

Moments, later, the bell rang and Ms. Pulitzer walked in, shutting the door behind her. She gave her students a rather long welcome speech before they started their class. Not much else memorable happened. Janis made a few friends among her classmates ( she really liked one girl in particular) and worked tirelessly on each assignment provided. Soon, the school day was approaching an end and Janis was in line with her fellow classmates as Ms. Pulitzer lead the way to the art room. 

When the reached the room, Ms. Pulitzer knocked on the door and reminded the school children they should be waiting silently. Moments later, the door opened and out stepped the art teacher. He was slightly taller than the woman, and he wore a rather odd hat. He smiled at each of the students as they filed into the classroom and winked at Ms. Pulitzer before closing the door. 

The teacher introduced himself as Mr. Kelly before he quickly began assigning seats, explaining that he wanted to have each student's name memorized as soon as possible. He then passed out a piece of paper to every student. Various art supplies already sat upon the desks. Looking at each pencil, pen, crayon, and paint made Janis inexplicably ecstatic. She was just about to start drawing whatever came first to her mind when Mr. Kelly called everyone's attention to the front of the room. 

"How many of you know what a soulmate is?,"he asked the many children. A few raised their hands. "Well, for those of you who do not know, I will tell you. Each person on this earth has someone they are destined to be with. You will spend your life drawing that person and each time you draw them, it will get more and more detailed until the day you finally fall in love. If you fight, however, the drawings will yellow and deteriorate, and could even catch fire. 

"Soulmate art is a peculiar thing. Even those who may not find art the most appealing can have absolutely beautiful Soulmate drawings or paintings or whatever method you so chose. Just like all things, art takes practice. Take your time and be patient, and you can become a wonderful artist," and with that Mr. Kelly ended his spiel and began explaining how to actually complete one of these pieces. He instructed today that each student started with a simple sketch, asking that they only use a pencil. They were also told not to put to much thought into what they were doing; it would simple come to them. 

Janis let her mind drift off as she worked on her sketch. All to soon, class was ending and she was putting away her borrowed pencil. She at last took a moment to look over her drawing and smiled. Staring back at her was a young girl with big eyes and wavy hair. Her smile was big and bright. She heard Mr. Kelly come up behind her and look down at her paper. He smiled kindly at Janis and complimented her work, telling her that, should she keep at it, she could one day be an amazing artist.

~Cady~ 

A young girl of about five sat with her parents watching a herd of zebras on the grassy savanna. It was late in the afternoon and all was silent except for the quite whisper of the wind rustling the grass. The air was relatively warm and the sun was soon to set. The girl stared in awe at the majestic animals. Despite moving to Kenya months before, she still marveled at the beauty of the many creatures.The girl's parents were deeply entrapped in their work. Each had a clip board and was taking furious notes on various observations. They had been there since early in the day and the girl was starting to lose her patience. Her school work was long since completed and she was bored. She wiggled and bounced and kept trying to speak to her parents despite them being fully engrossed in their work. 

Her mother began getting irritated with the child's lack of composure and gave her husband a pointed look as if saying, "She is your kid, please deal with this." He sighed, gently placing his hand on his wife's arm, before turning to his child. He smiled softly and she returned the gesture before wrapping her small body around his arm. 

"Cady, dear, would you like to draw the Zebras?," he asked his daughter. She nodded enthusiastically as her father reached into his backpack to retrieve and empty notebook and a pencil. Instantly she began to draw. Doing her best to copy the figure of each animal, Cady recreated the zebras in the messy hand of someone who had never before lifted a pencil. By no means were the drawings masterpieces, but they meant everything to Cady. 

Eventually, Cady's parent's decided to head back to their tent for the night. Cady closed her new notebook and tucked it away in her backpack. She spent that night thinking of all the animals she could draw.

Early the next morning, Cady's mother shook her awake. Most days went like this. Her mother would wake her up to teach her that day's home schooled lessons. Then Cady would spend the day doing her various assignments while her parents worked. The sun was never up when they started, yet but it did not bother either party. They sat outside in the cool morning air while Cady's mom droned on about some historical event. Cady payed little attention, instead letting her thoughts wander as she drew in her notebook. The picture developing before her was one of a girl about her age. She had long straight hair and appeared to be mid laugh. As far as she knew, Cady had never seen this girl before. She was staring at the paper thoughtfully when her mom's harsh tone ripped her from her thoughts. 

"Cady Heron, what on Earth are you doing," her words made Cady jump half out of her skin. Cady's mother reached forward and snatched the notebook from her hands. She scanned the page and her usual look of anger turned to one of absolute shock, horror, and disgust. Mrs. Heron jumped from her spot on the ground and stormed into their tent, dragging her daughter along with her. Then there was a lot of yelling. Cady could only make out a few of the words being said, hearing the term " Soulmate" thrown around a few times. She watched as her mother tore the pages of her notebook shreds, screaming about how she was never to draw such a thing again. 

Cady did not understand why her mom was reacting that way to a simple drawing. She felt her dad scoop her into his arms and carry her out of the tent muttering about how they needed to give her mom a little bit of space. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and listened to the sound of his feet in the grass. Eventually, she felt him sit down and hug her a little bit closer. 

"I will always love and be there for you," Cady barely registered that her father had spoken at first, "Never forget that." And she didn't.

That day ingrained itself in Cady's memories, vivid and bright. She remembered he father's words, but more so her mother's. Years passed and she never tried to draw that girl again, or anything else for that matter. She feared her mother's response. As the years went by, Cady pretended not to notice the growing tension between her parents. She focused entirely on her school work, desperate for her mother's approval. She found comfort in the monotony up until the moment her father said the six most important words of her life, "We're going back to the states."


	2. New in Town

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for claustrophobia. I myself am claustrophobic so it took me a while to write that part, but the paragraph will be marked out so if anyone needs to they can skip it. I swear I'll write more with Janis next update!!

~Cady~ 

Cady would never be able to describe how she felt when her father told her they would be going back to America. She loved Kenya, but it was always the same for her. She wanted a changes. She wanted to make real, human, friends. She was now sixteen and wanted the chance to be a normal teenager. To go to high school just to laugh about how much it sucked with these hypothetical friends. To understand what kids her age usually did on weekends instead of studying animals. Almost instantly she started spouting questions at her father and he grinned in response, trying to give adequate answers as quickly as possible. 

That was cut short by her mother walking into the tent. She scowl on her face would have been enough to scare away any lion. Mr. Heron turned to his wife as she walked in. Their eyes met and they seemed to have a conversation without speaking. One Cady could not understand. Eventually her mom just sighed and walked out of the tent again, calling over her shoulder that they had ten minutes to be ready. 

Ten minutes? That couldn't be right. She looked over to her father and he began to explain, "Your mother and I thought it would be best if we left sooner rather than later. That way you could start school on time with everyone else." He seemed slightly nervous as he spoke, but Cady brushed it off and nodded. She walked out of the tent and looked across the savanna. She knew she would miss it but she decided to push that thought out of her mind. Slowly she made her way back towards the tent and got ready to leave. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stepping off the plane almost felt surreal to Cady. Never before had she been surrounded by so many people at once. It was all she could do to not get separated from her parents. Her mother looked almost bored as they made their way through the chaos, the exact opposite of Cady's nervous and frantic state of mind. By the time they were finally free from the crowd she could no longer tell her left from her right, for a moment thinking she was actually walking on her hands. 

The three of them stood on the sidewalk, getting their things in order, before Mr. Heron decided it would do them better to get to their hotel sooner rather than later as they would have no idea where they were going. Early tomorrow the family would be signing the paperwork confirming the sale on their new house, so it would be best if they were rested. As he went to call a cab or similar service, he glanced nervously between his wife and daughter. Cady and her mother's relationship had never been great and he feared something could happen between the two while they were gone. Cady gave him a small smile, letting him know she'd be okay. He nodded, giving his wife one last glance, before dashing off. 

An air of silence hung heavily between the two. Cady was not sure if she should look at her mom, her phone, or just pretend to be alert for her dad's return. She decided on the last option. The sun was shining so she had to shield her eyes as she looked out over the vast sea of cars in the parking lot. Each reflected the sun back into her face, causing her to squint. Never before had she seen so many cars in one place, at least that she could recall. Her eyes scanned the cars pulling through the pick-up lane and all the people around them, hoping to spot her dad. They had lived in Kenya for almost twelve years, and as driver's licences expired every eight, Cady's parent's had to wait until they could get their's renewed to start driving on their own again. She had no idea if he would come back in a car, or if they would have to wait, or for how long, or how they would all fit...

The girl was snapped from her thoughts by her mom hissing at her to pick up her bag and follow her. The older woman gracefully made her way through the many people without a problem. Cady followed her, a mess of tripping and stumbles, and falling into other people. Her mom had stopped beside her father, who was speaking with the driver of a small white car. Cady could not, nor did she attempt to, make out what was going on in the conversation. She simply looked at her shoes and glanced around some more. Finally, she felt her father nudge her arm gently and tell her to get in the car. Out of the corner of her eye she could see her mom slide into the front passenger seat. 

Once Cady was in the seat she clicked her seat belt in place and set her back in her seat. She was vaguely aware of her father doing the same thing somewhere to her right. She leaned back in the seat as the car slowly began moving forward with the rest of traffic. She stared out her window, taking in every tree, car, bus, person, and building. If felt so odd to be around so much bustle. She let her mind wander as blurred images moved through her eyes and mind. Before she knew it, her father was unbuckling his seat belt and grabbing his bag from beneath his feet. Cady rushed to do the same, throwing open the car door and nearly stumbling into traffic. She walked around the back of the car to join her parents, who were standing in front of the very tall building she assumed was the hotel. 

The building appeared to be made of concrete and it had been painted a pail yellow. There was a staircase leading from the sidewalk towards the door. It was covered in about six rows of window's from top to bottom. Each window had blue shutters that seemed to be for decorational purposes only. Most of the windows had white curtains drawn, however a few were open. Cady looked from window to window observing each of the scenes. A mother holding her child, two children bickering, a pair of feet up in the air as if a person was walking on their hands It was also so confusing. 

Cady's mom cleared her throat and the girl was instantly snapped from her gawking. The older woman jerked her head towards the doors and began walking at a brisk pace up the stairs of the establishment. Cady and her father followed close behind, watching as her mother checked in to their room. The man behind the desk hands her a card and she smiles polity before turning back to her family. She nods to the pair of air-tight silver doors on the far side of the room, an elevator, and motions for the two to follow her.

Mrs. Heron firmly presses the button on the wall and waits until the doors open with a ding and they all file inside. 

~ TW~

The second Cady steps into the metal machine of death, she is trapped. The walls are closing in, the air is running out. She grips the rail tightly as the numbers on the wall count up. When would they stop? Slow and methodical, the many seconds between each number increasing her feelings of doom and panic. This shinny box would be her casket and yet no one knew her yet, so there would be no one to bury her. 

And then the doors opened. 

She burst from the steel trap and gulped air. The hallway was empty and the only ones there to witness her panic where her parents. They seemed not to have noticed because they had continued down the hallway. 

~ End TW ~

Cady hurried to catch up with her parents. By the time she reached them her mom had already slid the key-card into the door and the lock had clicked open. Her mom hurried inside, not bothering to hold the door for either of the other two. Cady looked at her father, he had closed his eyes and taken a deep breath. When he opened them her gave his daughter a reassuring smile and followed his wife into the room. Cady was the last to enter. She hesitated for a long moment before doing so and then sighed. Her steps were slow as she followed her parents. She carefully closed the door behind her as to not disturb any neighbors they may have. 

The room was cool and gentle hum of an air conditioner could be heard in the background. The room was more than twice the size of the tent she and her parents had been living in for the past eleven years. There were two queen sized beds, a small kitchen, and a bathroom. Her mom had almost instantly gone in for a shower, and her father was laying on one of the beds reading. He motioned to the other bed, saying she would be sleeping there, and almost instantly she was overcome with a sense of absolute exhaustion. The jet lag finally catching up with her, she walked over to the bed and sat on the edge. She tore her shoes from her feet, stuffed them in her backpack, and then set the backpack down at the edge of the bed. The next few weeks would be a mess, so best to sleep know. She crawled under the covers and closed her eyes, drifting into a dreamless sleep. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next week passed in a blur. They signed the paperwork on their new house and began moving in. For Cady this meant she finally got to decorate her own room. It was not as if she did not know what she wanted either, she had been pondering this since she was a small child. Her parents told her she was allowed to pick new sheets and paint her walls. The theme she chose was simple, it would be pale blue with various accent colors. She spent a single afternoon painting and another arranging her things and then she was done. She stood back to admire her handiwork and smiled. The next day she would be taking on her first day of high school, but now was the time to bask in her day's accomplishments. What she nervous? Not at all. But maybe she should have been, because little did she know the rabbit hole that was soon to come.


	3. Welcome to Northshore

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> School sucks, update schedule has been abandoned, and the word counter on Wattpad told me this was 2020 words so proceed at your own risk. Happy reading!

~Cady~

Cady sat waiting nervously in the school's front office. She sat in the uncomfortable metal chairs, swing her legs back and forth impatiently. Her eyes darted around, dancing between her shoes and the ticking clock on the walls. She has been there since early that morning, long before anyone else, simply trying to get her schedule. Despite what the few movies she'd seen had suggested, it took quite some time to be processed for school. 

As the time ticked she mentally went through everything she knew about high school. Which, to be fair, was not a lot. All the knowledge she had stemmed from bad rom-coms and horror films. Eventually she decided that it would be a better use of her time to sort through facts and myths. Was this school probably going to be very clique-ie? Maybe. But would there be some blonde bitch prancing around trying to ruin her life? Probably not. Surely she would have lots of homework and plenty of harsh teachers. And what about changing classes? The endless halls filled to the brim with sweaty teenagers, unable to move beyond what those in front of them chose to do. 

The thought made her shutter. 

She looked up at the clock again. The time read 6:45 a.m., soon the doors would be open and many students would pour into the halls ready (or not) to start their year. They would start out with a great idea of how their time would play out, and it would end in the monotonous flow of teenage drama. 

Off to her right, the door to the principals office opened and a man stepped out. In one hand he held a folder and a cup of coffee, and the other was wrapped on thick bandages. As he looked around the office his eyes seemed to skim right above the short girls head. "Caddie? Caddie? Heron?" The man called. A puzzled look washed over her face. On one hand, she knew he was calling her name, yet on the other, that was in fact not her name. She resisted the urge to sigh, and instead plastered a smile to her face as she stood up from her seat. 

" It's Cady Heron," she said to the man politely. He almost appeared to have pondered it for a moment before shaking his head and motioning for her to follow him into the office. She did as she was instructed, pulling her backpack up over her shoulders as she walked. The man left the door open slightly as he slid into his desk, motioning for her to sit in the chair in front of it. She nodded quickly as she sat down. The mans desk was cluttered, so she barely read his name plaque that said, "Principal Duval." He took a moment to shuffle various papers around with his good hand before finally turning his attention back to Cady. 

"Welcome to Northshore High School , Katie," he said, handing her a sheet of paper. Her eyes ran over it with curiosity. "This is your locker information and schedule. Make sure you follow it closely and get to all your classes on time. I will help you find homeroom, but perhaps for the rest of your classes you should find another student to guide you." His tone seemed almost condescending while he said it, as though she was a dull child that needed everything explained to her in excruciating detail. 

Mr. Duval lead the girl through the crowded hallways, not attempting to speak to her. Cady was thankful for that; she was too busy trying not to suffocate under the pressing weight of so many teenagers. Everything around her looked the same. The doors were the same color, the lockers in rows too neat, the faces blurring from one to the next. She was relieved when the man finally lead her into a classroom. While still chaotic, is was then less so. The room was still very loud, but most of the students sat in our around the desks. The chaos was more or less contained to specific groups of people instead of the whole lot. 

The principal looked at the students, an unimpressed look plastered over his face. He cleared his throat knowing it would do little to settle the noise. After attempting once more he sighed and stepped out of the room and into the hallway, returning moments later with the gym coach. He nodded and smirked slightly before blowing his whistle. Cady flinched and covered her ears as the rest of the class groaned and faced towards the front of the room. Mr. Duval gave a satisfied smile before waving away the gym teacher. 

"Welcome back everybody! I'd like to take a moment to introduce a new student here at Westerburg High: Caddie Heron, she just moved here from Kansas," but Cady was quick to jump in and correct him.

"Actually, it's Cady, and I moved here from Kenya," the other students seemed unimpressed. Someone sitting in the back of the class gave a sarcastic cough, causing Mr. Duval to sigh in exasperation. The bell above rang, signaling the start of the day. The principal's eyes drifted towards the desk in the front of the class, searching for the missing teacher. As if on a cue, a woman scrambled into the room. 

~Janis~

The first day of school had always been dreaded by Janis. Summer was the time she could be free from homework and stress. It allowed her to focus on her art, and have time to spend with Damian. The whispers and names that nagged at her back in the school hallways could be temporarily forgotten while she spent her days staying up late and sleeping in until nearly noon. But that was not the case for the school year. The second she stepped into the building her peers would be hurling insults faster than the teachers could hand out homework. And yet, she still had to attend. 

The morning of her first day of senior year, Janis was reluctant to wake up. She hit snooze several times until she finally received a text from Damian informing her that if she was not in his car within the next ten minutes, he would leave without her and she would be riding the bus. That sparked Janis's attention, and moments later she was on her feet. She dashed about her room pulling on her clothes and shoving her school books and random art supplies into her backpack. She pulled one of her jackets from the back of her desk chair as she rushed from her room. 

Janis thundered down the stairs and practically flew into the kitchen. Her mother was standing at the counter with a smug look on her face as she sipped her morning cup of coffee. Janis scowled at her, which only seemed to fuel her mother's attitude.

"Good morning sunshine," she said cheerfully, "Glad you finally decided to join the waking world." 

Janis was quick to retort a sarcastic, "Haha," as she hurried about the kitchen, grabbing a piece of toast and pouring herself a travel cup full of coffee. Glancing at the time she cursed. Planting a quick kiss on her mother's cheek, she ran out of the house and slid into the passenger seat of Damian's car. He laughed and shook his head before putting the car into reverse and starting the not-so-long drive to school. 

By the time they reached the school, the hallways were already flooded. People crowded around their newly assigned lockers, decorating the insides and chatting with the friends they had not seen over the previous few months. It seemed as though every clique had already fallen back into place, and everything picked up exactly where it left off. The new freshmen wandered, clutching their timetables in hand, chattering excitedly. The mathletes were already going on about new students to recruit this year, and teachers were pacing the hallways reminding students to get to their first class before the bell. 

After stacking their books inside Janis's locker (they had agreed it would be better for them to share as it was closer to their classes) they started towards homeroom. The halls were always hard to navigate, but the first few days of school were the hardest. The thought that the most dreaded day of the year was the one where the most students were in attendance had always made her laugh. 

When they reached their classroom, Janis was not at all surprised to find that it was mostly empty. Many people were still wandering about pretending like high school popularity matter in the long run. She and Damian found seats next to each other and, for the twelfth time, compared their schedules. By some miracle, they had managed to line up all but two of their classes. Both were in awe and afraid that if they looked away for too long it would change. 

"How does that even happen," asked Damian

Janis shrugged, "Most of the Teachers teach more than one subject. I guess that make it relatively easy for people taking the same lessons to get the same class." She reached into her backpack and pulled her sketchbook and pencil case as they continued their conversation. However, just as she was about to open her mouth to speak again, a high pitched whistle sounded through the room. Her head snapped from Damian to the front of the room. Standing there was the principal, Mr. Duval, the gym coach, and...

Her stomach dropped. It was as if she was staring at a ghost, yet the girl she was looking at was very real. Her ginger hair fell in gentle curls over her shoulders and her bright blue eyes scanned the room nervously. The girl was small in comparison to many people in the school. Her backpack seemed to be filled with rocks weighing her down. Looking over at Damian again, Janis could see a puzzled look pass over his face, as if trying to decipher where he had seen the girl. Slowly she turned back a few pages in her sketchbook until she found one she had done just a few weeks prior. 

Staring back at her was the same girl. 

At this point Damian had turned to her, and was smirking. His eyes flicked back and forth between the girl and the drawing. Janis rolled her eyes and shut her sketchbook, hoping no one else had seen. Sliding it back into her bag, she looked up to hear the girl introduce herself. What had she said her name was? 

Moments later the bell rang, and in rushed Ms. Norbury, their homeroom teacher. Her arms were full of file and paper, and balanced in one hand was a cup of coffee. She was quick to drop everything on her desk before turning to the principal and the new girl. 

Janis looked back to Damian who still had an expecting look on his face. She sighed and shrugged. The words soul mate still rang in her ears from that first day of kindergarten nearly eleven years gone now. She wished she could say she had never thought to much of it, but she had. So many years of her life and pages of her notebooks had been spent of drawing this girl she thought she might never meet. And for a good amount of time, it had made her miserable. As it turns out, most people within her town and school did not approve of the whole idea that she could like someone of the same gender. 

She was once again drawn from her thoughts by a light tap on her shoulder. Damian was pointing her attention in the direction of the girl, who was approaching one of the seats next to them. Janis had to stop herself from reacting based on nerves. Instead, she straightened up in her seat and awaited any oncoming conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed! I will try and get the next update out as soon as time permits. My Tumblr is @serpents-of-fire-and-fog for those interested.


	4. Familiar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have currently found the need to project onto Cady, so apologies to her. I'm also still out here being bad at naming chapters. I'm sorry this is shorted than the last chapter!

~Cady~

As soon as the bell rang, Mr. Duval had exited the room. Almost instantly it was back to its previous volume of noise. The chaotic surrounding seemed to engulf her and her thoughts. Everything blurred and she could no longer tell where she was or what she was feeling. She simply existed in the space between her own thoughts and her surroundings. She no longer knew if she was breathing and started to sway on her feet. She was still zoned out as her teacher approached her.

Ms. Norbury, as she introduced herself, smiled politely at the unfamiliar girl and explained her schedule to her. She pointed out that Cady would, in fact, be in her own calculus class. In response, Cady nodded in thanks and started walking to a seat. Her brain was still elsewhere as she plopped down in one of the few remaining empty seats. She took out one of her notebooks and began copying down her schedule in the cover. The whole things was so daunting. What if she forgot, or if she could not find her class? The hallways were dizzying and overflowed and it would be so easy for her to get lost. She was snapped from her thoughts by the voice of a girl beside her.

"Hi, I'm Janis,"a smirk played across her lips as she spoke. It was as if she held some secret shared between just the two of them. There was something so familiar between the two, yet Cady simply could not place it. Her heart fluttered slightly but she pushed that aside and swallowed, forcing herself to respond.

"H-hello," she stuttered. All words seemed to have disappeared from her mouth. She allowed her eyes to drift between her journal and the girl. Janis's hair was mostly blonde, though the dark brown roots of her hair had grown in a good few inches. It framed her face falling in gentle waves down her shoulders. Her eyes were a light brown and had a playful glint. Even though she was sitting, Cady could tell Janis was much taller than her. The jacket she was wearing was artistically decorated with paint, pins, embroidery, and many other things Cady could not name. 

It took her a moment to realize Janis was talking to her, which led to her slowly shaking her head and asking her to repeat herself. The girl seemed to repress a laugh as she asked Cady what classes she had. Cady passed the paper with her timetable printed on it over to the girl. Janis pulled out her own to compare. She turned around and nudged the shoulder of the boy sitting behind her. He, unlike Janis, was not holding back his grin in the slightest. Instead, he seemed to be looking back and forth between the two so fast that Cady could have missed it if she was blinking at the right time.

The boy, still smiling, leaned over and lifted a strand of Cady's hair, "I love your hair! Is this your natural color?," his grin must have been contagious, because in return Cady also smiled and nodded. He said something about being jealous and Janis laughed.

"This is Damian. He's almost to gay to function," she said, handing both Damian and Cady back their schedules. "Pretty much all our classes line up except for fifth and sixth. After that we all have art together." Damian raised an eye bow at her before rambling about how that was pretty much unheard of and telling Janis that she better not be messing with him.

The class was still loud as Mr. Norbury began taking attendance. It was clear that the summer vibe had yet to wear off as people continued to chatter loudly and risk their missing their name being called. Cady, however, focused all her attention on the teacher, not daring to let herself miss the name. Even still she fumbled with the words to say when she was called on. She glanced nervously around her as the teacher carried on down the list, but no one seemed to have noticed. She sighed and sat back in her seat. She reminded herself that everything was going to be fine.

And then the bell rang.

It took a moment for Cady to regain her wits after the sharp buzz tore through her head. She flinched slightly and then started shoving her notebook into her backpack. Clasping her schedule in her hands, she stood up and started towards the door. Her first class was American Literature. She stopped in her tracks, staring at the room number. She looked back at Janis and Damian, who were goofing around as they got ready to leave. She took a deep breath and walked back towards them. Once they were looking at her, she took a deep breath and gathered her courage.

"Could I walk to class with you guys?"

~Janis~

From the moment Cady walked over, Janis felt like she was trying not to trip over her words. How exactly would you start a conversation in this kind of situation? Janis did not really think "Hi, I've been drawing your face since I was five even though we've never met," would really cut it. Nerves flooded her body, trying to think of all the ways she could subtly tip the girl off. Any eloquent way she could let the girl know who she would be a dream come true.

And yet the girl did not even give her a second glance when she sat down. Cady seemed to be trapped in her own mind, lost in the thoughts scattered around her head. She pulled a notebook out from her backpack and because jotting her schedule down inside the cover.

Janis looked back at Damian. He smirked at her, eyes flicking between where Janis had stored her sketchbook in her backpack, and Cady in the desk next to her. Like the very mature person she was, she rolled her eyes and stuck her tong out at him before turning back around. She took a deep breath and spoke directly to the girl.

"Hi, I'm Janis," she was surprised at the level of smugness she was able to maintain in her voice. Cady's head snapped in Janis's direction, and the words seemed to wash over her before she responded with a stuttered hello. A look of seemingly lost recognition passed over the new girl's face as Janis asked her what her classes she had. Cady's eyes, however, had once again glazed over as she scanned Janis trying to place how she knew her. Janis held back a laugh as she asked her question again. That seemed to draw Cady from her trance, and she quickly handed Janis her schedule.

As she compared the slip of paper to her own, Janis was not quite sure how to feel. At first, she thought this was some sort of cruel joke. Yet as she continued to read the paper it became more or less believable. Nearly all of their classes lined up. The only two that did not were their fifth and sixth period classes. She had already memorized Damian's schedule as well and knew that they were in a similar situation. After expressing her total disbelief she handed the sheet of paper back to Cady with a smile.

It wasn't long before the bell rang. Janis and Damian held back and watched as their classmates left. It was part of the routine they'd had for years. Neither was desperate to step out into the flooded hallways so soon, so instead they would wait until the classroom had cleared and raced to their next classes.

Cady hadn't even set foot out the door and Damian was already asking Janis questions. Was it the same girl? Did she know? Was Janis going to try to talk to her about it? All Janis did in response was laugh, as if to deflect. In all honesty, she could not tell if Cady recognized her. There seemed to be a brief moment where she seemed to consider the possibility of knowing her, but it did not last long. And then of course there was the thought of having so many shared classes. What if she slipped up?

"Could I walk to class with you guys," Janis spun towards the voice. Cady was standing in front of her, her eyes darting around at the people surrounding her. Janis looked to Damian, who simply smirked and shrugged.

"Why not? We're all heading in the same direction anyway," and with that she slung her backpack over her shoulders. The three walked out into a now slightly less crowded hallway. Their first class, American Literature, was on the other side of the school. The group hurried, walking around the thick groups of chattering students. Janis had long since gotten used to them ignoring her. She was so skilled at navigating the complicated twists and turns, she almost forgot to keep tabs on Cady. She was almost scared to lose the girl to the sea of students surrounding them.

When the reached the class, Janis stopped in the doorway and scanned the room to see who they would be dealing with. No one too bad, as far as she could tell. They hurried to find seats near each other, and as they waited for the lesson to begin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Let me know if there is anything I should fix or take out.


	5. Sit With Us

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took forever to write but now its done now! I am in a more consistent writing schedule now so I want to say I will have the next chapter out sooner, however, I also have another big project I'm working on so we'll see.

~Cady~

Cady's head did not stop spinning when they entered the classroom. Despite the hallways being significantly less crowded than earlier that morning, she still spent the whole time fearing that one step in the wrong direction would lead to her losing Janis and Damian. They were skilled at navigating the swarms of students, and it confused Cady how easily it seemed to come to them. 

The classroom, however, seemed to be more her place. There were not yet very many students inside (despite the group leaving long after many of the other students) and the voices of her peers were no longer piercing her eardrums. She followed Damian and Janis to a group of three seats near the back of the class. Following their lead, she tucked her backpack under her desk and scanned the room for their instructor. He was sitting at his desk in the corner of the room reading a book with annoyed look on his face. When the bell rang, he glanced up, closed his book, and welcomed the students. 

That was how most of the classes went. The teachers were no more eager than the students to be teaching again. They seemed bored and tired, wanting nothing to do with the large groups of children filing in and out of their classes. It was not even noon yet and they were already counting down the seconds until they would be rid of their students. 

Cady stuck close to Damian and Janis throughout her morning classes. They're schedules lined up perfectly until after lunch, so she knew that until then she did not have much to worry about. The experts showed Cady the ins and outs of Northshore High School. How naive she was, underestimating how much there was to learn. There were teachers to be scared of and rules to follow. There were students to be scared of and allies you could trust. They all blurred together so closely that by the time they got to the lunchroom later in the day, Cady's head was almost spinning more than when she first walked through the hallways with Principal Duval.

The cafeteria, as it turns out, was the physical manifestation of Cady's worst nightmares. The room was maybe twice the size of a regular classroom, filled with more than four times the students. Picnic tables were placed in neat-ish rows throughout the room, and each table was filled was filled with eight or so students talking loudly to their peers. Neither Janis nor Damian appeared to pay this any mind. Instead, they pulled Cady towards a partially empty table in the back of the room. 

Cady sat across from the other two students, the three crowded towards one end of the table. The other half had been claimed by a few teenagers with their full attention devoted to books, journals, homework, and the like. Cady listened intently as the two friends told her more about the people surrounding her. 

"Take a good look around. Very little of this will change throughout the year. All of these groups have been the same since middle school, give or take a few students," Janis said. At the instruction, Cady's eyes flitted around the various groups of people. Her eyes turned back when she heard Damian clear his throat.

"If I may," he began, "I'm a bit of an expert on the cliques of Northshore High School. Mind if I give you a slight tour from the safety of your own seat?"

In response Cady shrugged and nodded. Why not? Better she know all she could than risk coming to an embarrassing conclusion later on in the school year. 

Damian dramatically cleared his throat and sat up in his seat, as if there was about to be some great performance.

~Damian~

Damian had been attending school's in Northshore's school district since kindergarten. He knew every face and every person. Part of that came with growing up in a small town. The other part came with being a theater kid; His free time was literally spent imitating the quirks of things he was not. He smirked in preparation for his (not so) grand tour. The hierarchy of Northshore was not hard to dissect, but for someone so new, like Cady, it may be difficult. Better he lay it all out for her now. 

Damian went into detail describing each group to Cady. The lowest tier consisted of those of which there as not many to make a group of. There were the self proclaimed "lone wolf's" and the social outcasts. These where the people no other student desired to be around for extended periods of time, for fear of their own reputation being lost. Above them were the typical nerds, or the so called "losers." The largest group it was, so they at least had other people to be losers with. The band geeks, the theater kids, the artists, the stoners, and all in between fell there. The next in the line were the popular kids. You know the ones. The pom team, the cheerleaders, the sports teams. The people everyone pretends to like or be like. 

"Then of course," Damian added to his previous rant, "If you ever find yourself wanting to dig down further from the top of this social ladder, you can always join the mathletes."

"Or us," added Janis. 

Damian could see the gears turning in their new friend's brain. Slowly she nodded and shrugged with a smile. Her eyes continued to scan her new surroundings curiously. Eventually, her eyes found their way to a table in the very center of the room where three girls sat in deep conversation.

"Who sits at that table?," Cady asked. 

In response, Janis gasped, "Don't look at them! Those are the Plastics." 

That just seemed to confuse Cady more. Damian snickered and launched into another lengthy response. (It seemed to be a new record as lunch was a mere 15 minutes in the afternoon.)

The Plastics consisted of three junior girls, and despite being only juniors every student knew them well. They were Northshore royalty. It was simple to achieve by their already present wealth and good looks. The three held more power over the student body than all of administration combined, and they loved to flaunt it. 

Karen Smith was the first of the three. She had never been the sharpest tool in the shed, and it had certainly never been one of her priorities. She had long, straight blonde hair that fell to her lower back. Her eyes were large, round, and green, and a smile seemed to be spread across her face at all times. Her clothes just barely passed the dress code. Even those high on the throne were not protected, however. The rumors that circulated were nothing but damaging to the girl's reputation, though no one knew where they originated. 

The second girl was none other than Gretchen Wieners. Simply put, she was a spy. There was not a single bit of gossip she did not know and she always triple checked her sources. The truth, she had found, often hurt more. Her father had apparently been the inventor of Toaster Strudel, a fact the girl was very proud of. Her hair sat pinned in loose curls on her head that framed her round face. Her eyes were warm and brown, and it was easy to tell from just a glance how eager she was to please her friends. 

Then there was Regina George. If anyone was "queen bee," it would be her. She had never once let her gaze drop as she made her way through the halls. Karen and Gretchen followed her willingly with little to know question. Her eyes were a piercing blue and her long blonde hair fell in waves down her back. She was taller than the other two girls; tall enough to intimidate most everyone around her. Her eyes carried venom hidden behind kind enough words and condescending tones. She built her reputation tearing others down as she went, and you could tell. 

As if summoned by fate, Gretchen came to the table almost as soon as Damian had finished his explanation of the Plastics. The others at table seemed to shift away, concentrating more on their work and not daring to make eye contact. It was as if they believed simply looking into the girls eyes could spill their secrets. Janis fixed a threatening stair onto the girl, but she paid it no mind. Instead, she directed her words specifically to Cady.

"Welcome to Northshore," her tone seemed genuine enough, "My friends and I were just wondering if we could have a quick chat." 

Damian looked over at his best friend, who had gone tense at Gretchen's request. He wondered what how much Regina knew about the Cady. The girl seemed a bit uncomfortable at the idea, looking to her knew friends for advice. Damian tried to convey "be careful" as well as he could by shrugging his shoulders. He watched as she stood up and walked away with Gretchen. 

Damian watched as Janis's eyes shifted to meet Regina's. To his surprise, the latter was staring back. She turned the corner of her lips up in a smirk before composing herself to talk to Cady.

~Cady~

Cady was barely to steps away from her table, and she was already regretting her choice to leave. The girl leading her through the maze of tables spoke faster than just about anyone she'd heard, not even stopping for breath. She'd ask questions and then not wait for a response or answer, which confused Cady more than anything. By the time they reached their destination, Cady was more exhausted than she had felt all day. 

Gretchen walked around the table to reclaim her seat next to the girl Cady could now identify as Regina. She stood there awkwardly for a moment before Regina, smiling brightly, waved her to sit on the bench across from them. She did so quickly without question. Her eyes drifted from each of the three people in front of her. They were all looking at her intently, but there was something different behind Regina's eyes. Her eyes held a similar light to that which Janis's eyes had held earlier; like she had knows who Cady was for much longer than she would let on. Yet somehow, this was different. It was as if Regina was saying "I know all your secrets, and I'm not afraid to use them." 

Cady was definitely terrified. 

"Now.. This isn't something we do often so listen closely. I've seen you around school. You are new around here, right?," Regina said and Cady nodded, "I am personally inviting you to have lunch with us this week. If you are interested, come and sit at this table tomorrow. Wear pink." Regina smiled at Cady as she and her friends picked up their lunch trays. "See you tomorrow," she said with a smile before walking away. 

Cady sat there confused for a moment before standing up and walking back to Janis and Damian. They gave her a questioning look and Cady sighed. As they cleaned up there spots and started walking to their next class, she detailed the conversation for them. 

"They want me to sit with them for the week," she said. Damian seemed concerned, but Janis had a new excitement shining in her eyes. 

"That's great! You can tell us all the dumb shit they say after," Janis said. 

Cady hesitated, "I don't know. Is that not a bit.. mean?" 

Janis waved it away, "Cady, we're your friends. Would we ever ask anything bad of you?"

"I guess not," the logic seemed to fit with her. Then again, she had never had many friends before. 

"Then it's settled! And hey, if you don't like it you can come back and sit with us at any time." Seeing the excitement in her eyes, Cady knew that in no circumstances would she be able to say no. She asked if either had a pink shirt she could borrow, and Damian was quick to respond with a yes. He then waved goodbye and split off from his friends to go to class. Janis looked at Cady, leading her to their next class. Cady's heart fluttered slightly but she brushed it off and kept walking.


	6. New (Old?) Discoveries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cady spends some time with the plastics and learns things that only lead to more questions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I rewrote this chapter a couple times, so I’m sorry it took so long. Originally I was going to have Cady still fall for Aaron but nobody likes love triangles so I changed my mind. Also I’m starting to regret the whole “Title each chapter” thing but I had to specify that the first one was the prologue and if I went on numbering each by chapter the numbers wouldn’t line up with the ones assigned on Ao3, and that would physically hurt me.

~Cady~

The next day Cady ate lunch with the plastics. It felt odd, knowing she was deceiving them, but Janis’s words echoed in her mind. _“Cady, we're your friends. Would we ever ask anything bad of you?"_ Truthfully, she did not know. She had never had very many friends, preferring to spend much of her time on her own. In any of the films she had watched, the answer to this question would have been a definite yes. But there was a difference between fiction and reality, right? Cady sighed. It had barely been a day and she already thought this had gone too far. 

Regina cleared her throat and Cady’s eyes snapped up to meet her. She must have zoned out. Mentally cursing herself, she nervously asked Regina to repeat her question. 

“I asked why you were hanging around the art freaks yesterday,” Regina said,nonchalantly looking at her nails. She seemed to be playing it off as though she was uninterested, but Cady could tell she wanted an answer. 

“They were just the first people I met,” Cady shrugged. It was kind of the truth. While they were indeed the first people she had met, she had genuinely enjoyed their presence throughout the day. The two friends helped to guide her through the mazes and tunnels of the crowded high school and proved to be, at least to her, kinder than many of the other students at Northshore High School. 

That answer did not seem to fit for Regina though. She pressed her lips into a thin line, and looked Cady up and down, as if searching for a lie. The latter shifted under the blonde’s gaze. After seemingly contemplating Cady’s words for a moment longer, Regina returned an overly sweet smile to her face. 

“Alright losers, meet me by my locker after school. We’re going shopping,” Said Regina. She had a smug look on her face as the lunch bell rang a moment later. She stood up, food tray in hand. As if by program, Gretchen and Karen jumped to their feet as well. Cady watched as the three girls walked away to their next class. 

Janis and Damian must have been watching her, because seconds later they were by her side, walking with her to her next class. Cady detailed the parts of the plastic’s conversation she had heard for her friends. Janis would occasionally step in to make a joke or snarky remark, but for the most part they hung on to Cady’s words. When she got to the point when Regina had invited (demanded? instructed?) Cady to join them shopping later, Janis and Cady had separated from Damian to go to chemistry. It was the only class they shared without Damian. 

Cady studied Janis’s face when she told her. For a moment, the girl seemed to panic, but she quickly concealed it with a smirk. 

“Have fun with that,” Janis said. She rolled her eyes before directing them back to her assignment. When Cady tried to continue the conversation, Janis brushed her off. 

Caddy was not sure what to make of that. Over the past couple days she had been able to pick up on little things Janis, Damian, and the Plastics had said. Through this she had pieced together bits of information, one of which being that Janis and Regina had some sort of history neither girl was too keen on sharing. They both spoke bitterly of the other to no end, and oftentimes rude remarks were thrown about in the hallways. 

Cady had been in school for barely two days and she had already been able to tell as much.

For the remainder of the class, the two girls barely talked, though Cady did find herself doodling a familiar face on the edge of her paper.

After art class, Cady’s final class of the day, she neatly stacked her books in her locker and made her way to Regina’s, per her instructions. Her steps were quick, though she was hesitant. She kept telling herself that if she turned back then, she would not have to endure this. She sighed, running her fingers through her curly locks. It was only one shopping trip. How bad could it be? 

As it turns out, very bad. 

When Cady and the plastics walked through the doors of the mall, her first thought had been, _“I will never complain about school being too crowded again.”_ People bustled about, shouting and waving each other down. Many people’s arms were loaded in what appeared to be very heavy bags. Cady was instantly overwhelmed, but she did not have time to dwell on it long before Gretchen was pulling her in the direction of the nearest shop. 

Cady learned many things in those few short hours. For one, she learned that you should never buy a skirt without consulting your friends (She learned that this went for many things: clothes, shoes, boyfriends, among others). She also learned that in order to be a plastic, you must first master the well known art of walking in heels. This was discovered by the girl shortly after Regina insisted on buying her a pair. She had done her best to protest, but Regina was what could only be described as stubborn. 

At many points throughout the short(ish) trip, Regina had tried to bring up Janis. Each time, Cady found herself confused and deflecting. She was not even sure why it was her of all people Regina seemed to want to interrogate; she had just met the girl a few days prior. The relentless questioning continued even after they had made their way back to Regina’s house. 

Regina’s room was decorated the way Cady would have expected a Disney princess's room to be. Though the carpet was simple and grey, the rest of the room was decked in bright pink. Her sheets, canopy, wallpaper, and even her doors all held different shades of the color. 

The group had barely been in the room for a moment and Regina was already tearing her heels from her feet. The other three girls followed suit. While Cady fumbled with the buckle, she listened to the chaos around her. Gretchen and Karen had been continuing a previous conversation while Regina went about emptying shopping bags. Regina opened her closet door, seeking to put away a new pair of shoes. Before she could succeed in that, however, a woman burst out of the closet. 

“Mom!!,” yelled Regina. All of the girls jumped as a woman scrambled from the closet, cradling a dog in one hand and a pink scrapbook in the other. Regina’s mom looked as if she could have been a part of the room if she really wanted. Her blouse, platform heels, nails, and jewelry all seemed to match her daughter’s room. Her wavy hair was a similar color to that of Regina’s, though her darker roots had started to show. When her eyes caught on Cady, her smile instantly widened, rambling on about how long it had been since anyone new had been over. 

“Whats your name, dear?,” she asked.

“Cady,” she responded with a nervous smile. 

At this point Regina had grown far more irritated. “Mom!,” she shouted again. The woman turned to her daughter, her smile faltering a bit, “What on Earth were you doing in my closet?” 

“Oh!,” the woman’s voice was once again bright and peppy, “I was doing that organizing thing where you take a nap in a closet. But look what I found while I was in there!” The woman lifted the scrapbook in her hand above her head, as if to wave over the other girls. At the sight of it, something glinted in Regina’s eyes. Gretchen and Karen’s faces seemed to light up, however, instantly rushing to grab the book from the older woman. 

“The Burn Book,” the two said with ever apparent excitement. Cady tilted her head, but before she could ask what they meant by that, Mrs. George spoke up. 

“Cady, Cady!!,” the woman called, “You have to see this!”

“Mom!,” said Regina yet again, once more. Her irritation was clearly crowing. After a few more minutes of heavy persuasion, Regina was able to convince the woman to leave. Cady almost felt bad for the woman, though she did not have time to linger on that, because Gretchen was dragging her towards the scrap (burn?) book. 

The girls were sprawled out on the floor, flipping through the pages of the book. When Cady peered over Gretchen’s shoulder, she was shocked to see that it was not, in fact, pictures of the girls, but instead drawings of various people. In the corner of each page there was a small photograph taped like a flap with a name written under it, though most of the page was taken up by these drawings. 

“These are people’s soulmate drawings,” said Gretchen. When Cady responded with a confused look, the brunette’s eyes widened and she leapt into a detailed explanation. “Every person has someone they are ‘destined’ to be with. These pairings can be platonic, though typically they are romantic. A person may have multiple ‘soul mates’ though once again, they usually only have one, and some people don’t have one at all. Starting when someone is very young, they draw the person that they are destined to be with. Over time that drawing will get better and clearer, until the day those people meet. We’ve been collecting our classmate’s drawings for ages!”

Cady nodded, sitting forward to flip through some of the pages. She felt like she was intruding on a very deep, personal part of someone’s life. Yet at the same time, she was so deeply intrigued. She scanned the faces for people she knew. There were many she recognized from the hallways or classes at school. Cady was about to step back away when she came to a particular page. 

Janis’s face smiled up at her from the corner. The picture had to have been at least a few years old, but it was her no doubt. The page had been filled with two drawings; One was the unmistakable face of Damian, but the other one took Cady a moment longer. 

When she realized who it was, her heart nearly stopped. 

Smiling back up at her was her own face, though she seemed to have been many years younger in the drawing. She was smiling and her hair was a frizzy mess, but she had no doubt. Her mind went blank as she tried to figure out what it meant. She thought back to all those years ago when she first heard her parents argue. _Soulmate._ After pondering it for a moment longer, she finally reminded herself to breathe. What was it Gretchen had said? Some people have platonic soulmates? If she had recalled correctly, that was a term Damian and Janis had used towards each other multiple times throughout the past couple days.

While caught in her mind Cady had failed to notice Regina creeping up beside her. She was smirking and there seemed to be a level of amusement hidden deep behind her gaze. Cady jumped halfway out of her skin when she noticed, triggering a snicker from the blonde. 

“That’s always been the most confusing things about these ‘soul mate’ drawings,” she said, as if reading Cady’s mind, "It's hard to discern what they mean, and it's always a bit odd seeing them occur between people you know.” 

Cady nodded, pretending to be only mildly interested. In truth, however, the gears in her mind were turning. The second Regina snuck away with Karen, Cady whipped out her phone and snapped a quick picture. She waved goodbye to Gretchen, slipping on her tennis shoes and leaving behind the new pair of heels.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed (:  
> New one shot coming out Tuesday!!


End file.
